Perhaps the most dramatic and fascinating field of Herbalism is the way in
which plants affect consciousness. The integration revealed by the Gaia
hypothesis lays a philosophical foundation for this. Awareness and expanded
consciousness are part of the life of the greater being we are part of. Words
and names are meaningless when considering such things, but just as our Earth
feeds us, heals our arthritis & strengthens cardiac function, so the
nervous system is supported and nurtured.

Herbalism is a co-operation between humanity, plants and the earth in healing.
This experience of wholeness is spirit in action, and opens the door for
change, transformation and participation in the Great Work. Plants provide us
with herbs that transform and enlighten, and also with plants that heal and
nurture nerve tissue its self. It is this physical healing that will be
considered here. Remember that the physical action of nervines is but one side
of the whole interface between plant and mind.

The whole therapy of Herbalism is uniquely suited to treating nervous system
problems. From one perspective herbs are embodiments of energy and spirit,
whilst from another they are packets of biochemicals. In fact a reflection of
the human mind/brain itself! If used with awareness it is possible to address
the needs of the human energy body as well the tissue involved. The
complexities of the mind-body interface, that so confuse doctors concerned with
'psychosomatic' medicine, become an aid in remedy selection to the herbalist.

All of the many herbal nervines have impact on somatic symptoms as well as the
mind. A simple example is Motherwort, a herb used in treating anxiety and
tension. It also has specific affinity for the heart, reducing palpitations
reactions and the fear that often accompanies them. This is even recognized in
the Latin binomial.

Recent advances in the field of neurology have come about through the
examination of claims for herbal remedies. Most of the areas of concern of
neurology will potentially benefit from herbal therapeutics, and indeed the
science of psycho-pharmacology itself is largely based on chemicals discovered
in plants.

How Stress Causes Illness

There can be no doubt that there is a definite relationship between stress and
illness. Although the exact nature of that relationship is not yet understood,
a number of ideas have been suggested. Early theories tried to connect
different illnesses with specific types of emotional conflict or personality
and body types. According to these theories, certain body types and
temperaments would be more likely to develop one physical disease under stress
than others. However, there is little agreement among the experts about what
correlates with what.

Selye has more to say on the subject. He maintains that the biological
reactions accompanying the GAS result in both short- and long-term adverse
physical changes. He calls these changes diseases of adaptation, since they are
the outcome of a system of defenses against threatening stimuli. The disease
process is thought to arise as a result of factors such as: The physiological
effect of certain hormones from the adrenal and pituitary glands; the impact
of the inflammation process, and a general state of lowered resistance. The
actual disease that manifests itself depends on a range of factors, including
genetics, physical weakness, and even specifically learned bodily responses.

The GAS helps explain the effects of life changes or events on health. Life
changes require adjustments that could produce physiological reactions, and
sustained and unsuccessful attempts at coping with life could lower bodily
resistance and enhance the probability of illness. Thus, the more frequent and
severe the life changes we experience, the more likely we are to become ill.

How to Recognize Stress

Stress can affect our lives in many ways, and it is impossible to talk about
them all here. However, when the level of stress goes beyond the point of being
a healthy stimulant and starts to adversely affect our health, it usually takes
some form of "anxiety."

Anxiety

Anxiety comprises various combinations of mental and physical symptoms that
occur either in panic attacks or as a persisting state. It is often described
in the following terms:

An emotional state colored with the experienced quality of fear.

An unpleasant emotion that may be accompanied by a feeling of impending
doom.

A feeling directed toward the future, associated with a perceived threat of
some kind.

An experience of bodily discomfort and actual bodily disturbance.

There may be no recognizable basis for the fear or feeling of threat, or the
actual stimulus may be completely out of proportion to the emotion it provokes.
Nevertheless, the symptoms it provokes are very real. For some people, anxiety
takes the form of recurrent attacks that, though they occur unpredictably, may
become associated with specific situations. They start with a sudden, intense
apprehension, often combined with a feeling of impending doom and sometimes
with feelings of unreality. Any of the body symptoms described below may occur.
An "anticipatory fear" of loss of control often develops, so that the person
experiencing the attack becomes afraid of, for example, being left alone in
public places. The anticipatory fear may itself precipitate other symptoms that
escalate the attack.

Symptoms of Anxiety
There is not just one anxiety symptom, a whole range of reactions can be
associated with it:

Anxious Mood:

Worrying

Apprehension

Anticipation of the worst
Irritability

Fears of:

The dark

Being left alone

Traffic

Strangers

Large animals

Crowds

Intellectual (Cognitive) Symptoms:

Difficulty in concentration

Poor memory

Depressed Mood:

Loss of interest

Depression

Diurnal swing

Lack of pleasure in hobbies

Early waking

General Body Sensations:

Tinnitus

Hot and cold flushes

Prickling sensations

Blurred vision

Feelings of weakness

Respiratory Symptoms:

Pressure or constriction in chest

Tightness of breath

Feelings of choking

Sighing

Genitourinary Symptoms:

Frequency of urination

Suppressed periods

Frigidity

Premature ejaculation

Impotence

Urgency of urination

Excessive bleeding during period

Loss of erection

Physiological Accompaniments of Behavior:

Tremor of hands

Strained face

Swallowing

Sweating

Furrowed brow

Facial pallor

Belching

Eyelid twitching

Tension:

Feelings of tension

Inability to relax

Easily moved to tears

Feelings of restlessness

Fatigue

Startled response

Trembling

Insomnia:

Difficulty in falling asleep

Unsatisfying sleep

Fatigue on waking

Night terrors

Broken sleep

Dreams

Nightmares

General Somatic Symptoms:

Muscular aches and pains

Muscular twitching

Muscular stiffness

Grinding teeth

Cardio-Vascular Symptoms:

Tachycardia

Pain in chest

Feelings of faintness

Palpitations

Throbbing of vessels Skipped heartbeats

Gastrointestinal Symptoms:

Difficulty in swallowing

Indigestion

Heartburn

Looseness of bowels

Constipation

Wind

Burps

Feelings of bloating Loss of weight

Autonomic Nervous System Symptoms:

Dry mouth

Pallor

Giddiness

Flushing

Tendency to sweat

Raising of hair

Adapted from: Hamilton, M. "The Assessment of Anxiety States by Rating,"
British Journal of Medical Psychology, 32, 1959, pp 50-55.

Emotional and Mental Responses to Physical Illness

Any illness occurs within the context of our whole lives and so will affect us
psychologically and socially, as well as physically. It might be useful for us
to consider ways in which illness itself may produce psychological problems.
The difference between this type of problem and a problem that affects the body
but arises in the mind is purely one of perspective.

Technical, if orthodox doctors consider the primary problem to be in the mind,
they label it a psychosomatic problem, but if they consider the root of the
problem to be in the body, they label it a somato-psychic problem. The
distinction is subtle, as shown here:

psyche disease

disease psyche

Psychological reactions to physical illness are common and may need some sort
of specialized help. This help may come from an orthodox psychiatrist, from a
holistic health practitioner, or simply from a friend.

Importance of the Patient's Perception
The lack of knowledge about psychological responses to physical illness
that is exhibited by most health practitioners reflects their narrow view of
the nature of illness. When the illness is seen in strictly biological terms,
the patient's own perception of the problem is ignored. For the patient, there
is no difference between the biological process of the disease and the
repercussions it has on social life and feelings. In a truly holistic way, they
are part and parcel of the whole problem. However, if the doctor ignores
psychological reactions in favor of medical pathology, further problems can
occur that will interfere with treatment and impede recovery.

Psychological reactions to physical illness vary in type and intensity with no
clear point beyond which the reactions can be considered "abnormal." Many are
common and understandable reactions to the social disruption and fears
generated by illness. Whilst severity and type of illness often affect
response, the relationship is not clear-cut. A mild illness may give rise to
marked emotional changes in one person, while a life-threatening illness will
evoke little or no response in another. One way of accounting for this
variation is to look at the patient's perception of the problem. This
perception will in turn be affected by personality and experience, the nature
of the illness, and the social context. It is worth looking at these in more
detail.

Personality and experience
Illness is dealt with in different ways be people with different
personalities. For example, the extent to which we experience, remember, and
complain about pain can be affected by whether we are naturally "highly strung"
or "laid back". The amount of information we are given about the illness can
play a large part in diminishing uncertainty and anxiety about both the illness
itself and its treatment. Previous experience of similar problems may give us
the sort of information most needed to reduce anxiety. However, if our
information comes from seeing apparently similar but actually more serious
symptoms in another person, then very strong but possibly groundless fears may
build up.

Our psychological state at the time of the illness will play a great part in
the way we perceive its severity. If a gallbladder problem arises during a time
when we are anxious about another member of the family, or we are having
problems paying the mortgage, the experience of physical illness may be much
worse, since it is well known that anxiety lower our pain thresholds.

Whilst working in conservation and lecturing in ecology and the eco-crisis for the University of Wales, David Hoffman became convinced that to heal the world, to embrace planetary wholeness and responsibility for it......more

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